Take A Walk Down South Main St.

[EatSleepMOD]

Subdude, you rock!

[Vertigo58]

I really enjoyed this photo. I remember seeing 'The Longest Day' at this Drive In as a kid back in the early 60's (and being eaten alive my the mosquitoes).

The mosquitoe part is hilarious! Tiny Texas icons indeed.

Rare photo is great too!

[northbeaumont]

I really enjoyed this photo. I remember seeing 'The Longest Day' at this Drive In as a kid back in the early 60's (and being eaten alive my the mosquitoes).

The mosquitoe part is hilarious! Tiny Texas icons indeed.

Rare photo is great too!

I read that Rice University is located at 6100 South Main. That's an easy address to remember a college by. Does the University of Houston also have an easy-to-remember address?

[4PROP]

I remember this motel from the mid-late 50's. It was just up South Main, on the east side, from the South Main Drive-in theater, which was on the west side. It came before, and was not related to the Holiday Inn chain we know today. It was a small, independently owned operation built in the 40's. I recall there was some type of settlement made between the Holiday Inn chain, as it grew, and this motel owner to change the name of his place. I think he ended up changing its name to the Holiday House.

----------------------------

10015 South Main

Mitchell Inn

Extant

On the same subject, I wonder whose sign came first... the Mitchell Inn or the Holiday Inn. They do look similar.

The Mitchell inn was severely ravaged by a fairly significant tornado back around 1965 or 1966. It seems I recall further damage across the street. I think it may have been (of course) a trailer park. That same night, some roofs were blown off buildings at the (then new) Madison High School just off Orem Road.

Can anyone add details (or pictures) on this event.

[Willsatx]

I am going to Houston tomorrow and spending the day, will take this drive and see how things have changed.

[devonhart]

That same night, some roofs were blown off buildings at the (then new) Madison High School just off Orem Road.

It must have 1966, I lived just across the bayou (Sims?) from Madison (4114 Knotty Oaks Trail), a couple kids and me walked through the site while it was still under construction. In the summer of 1966, we moved over near Meyerland, I have a faint recollection of my mother telling me about a tornado hitting South Main. I think if we had still lived by Madison, I'd have stronger memory.

In the late 70s early 80s, a tornado roared by the house I was living in then, when I say roar, I mean like trains and jets roaring, something I'll never forget.

[NenaE]

Thanks Subdude for the address listing of restaurants on S. Main. I recently purchased a book called Historic Photos of Houston - text & captions by Betty Chapman, that has a 1924 pic of "Ye Olde College Inn" (has no address listed), says that in the 1950's it was referenced as "one of the 20 greatest restaurants of the world". Entrance drive has brick columns w/white spheres(probably lights) similar to neighborhood entrances, leading to a white 2 story and a separate one story bldg, with striped awnings, on wooded property.

[lenora]

I have thought about Gateway for years- my Mom took us every summer after what seemed like weeks of begging and pleading. Today I decided to search and I was astonished to see this.... then to my great disappointment I can't see the photos! All I see is an ad for an image site- I even tried to register and the stupid thing is taking hours? days? to send a password. I see your posting is 4 years ago. If you see this could you PLEASE re-post these photos so that I can see them?

[sevfiv]

I have thought about Gateway for years- my Mom took us every summer after what seemed like weeks of begging and pleading. Today I decided to search and I was astonished to see this.... then to my great disappointment I can't see the photos! All I see is an ad for an image site- I even tried to register and the stupid thing is taking hours? days? to send a password. I see your posting is 4 years ago. If you see this could you PLEASE re-post these photos so that I can see them?

Lenora - I sent Subdude a message about the pictures - hopefully he has a way to re-host them..

And welcome to the forum!

[Subdude]

I have thought about Gateway for years- my Mom took us every summer after what seemed like weeks of begging and pleading. Today I decided to search and I was astonished to see this.... then to my great disappointment I can't see the photos! All I see is an ad for an image site- I even tried to register and the stupid thing is taking hours? days? to send a password. I see your posting is 4 years ago. If you see this could you PLEASE re-post these photos so that I can see them?

Here you go!

[Fringe]

Here you go!

I used to live right on the other side of that hill. 

[rsb320]

Why was there a hill there?

Was the Gateway where the Super Target is now? Also, wasn't Stadium Bowl there too?

Sorry with all the questions, but what was the name of that really good Chinese Restaurant that was right in that area up until at least the late 80's or early 90's?

[Fringe]

Why was there a hill there?

Was the Gateway where the Super Target is now?  Also, wasn't Stadium  Bowl there too?

Sorry with all the questions, but what was the name of that really good Chinese Restaurant that was right in that area up until at least the late 80's or early 90's?

I was kidding about the hill.

Gateway was close to the Super Target location. 

Lee's Den?

[Subdude]

Why was there a hill there?

Was the Gateway where the Super Target is now? Also, wasn't Stadium Bowl there too?

Sorry with all the questions, but what was the name of that really good Chinese Restaurant that was right in that area up until at least the late 80's or early 90's?

I think the hills in the background were a bit of artistic license.

Cathay House?

[capt. kirk]

I used to live right on the other side of that hill.

that is an amazing picture. the only thing missing is the water slide. as you look at the pic, it was located on the right side of the pool very near the rope that separated the shallow and deep end.

it was a great place and for $1 or $1.50 it occupied a saturday for sure

[Ringo3Khan]

How come it is I cant see the pictures? All i see is a tomato over and over again. Nice tomato

[sevfiv]

The hosting service that Subdude used breaks the links after some time of inactivity, if I remember correctly..

[Robin Jeambert]

I remember Gaido's on South Main quite well. We ate there now and then when i was a tween in the late 60s.. Great seafood.

[Materene]

Anyone happen to have or know of any old photos of the old Bill Williams Drive Inn , the MD Anderson Cancer Center now sits on the old location.  It appears the street was filled in and removed for the new center to be built.  I am not sure what year this happened since I have been gone from Houston since 82.  It was a typical drive in but had indoor eating also.  In 1970 it was a street racing scene hang out.  I did find some old menus and historical images a few years ago but no actual location photos.

 

Thanks

[mkultra25]

This one was posted here at HAIF a while back - not sure if it's one you've already seen:
 

 

And a different view of the front of the restaurant:

 

[Materene]

So sorry to be almost 3 years late saying thank you, that happens often once you're over 70.    ;0)   I look back on the old photos and remember a time long long ago.  Sadly most of the people in my world back then are gone now.  I knew a lot of people in 1970 who all met there at the drive inn nightly.  They also would hang out at the old McDonald's Drive Inn, not to be confused with the soon to be world known McDonald's but the original private independent owned Houston business.  Interestingly the new up and coming McDonald's sued that owner and lost  I suppose they had no calendar.  I think it is now a Burger King on the same location but smaller due to street widening. 

[crmarksiv]

How do I view the photos?

[mkultra25]

3 hours ago, crmarksiv said:

How do I view the photos?

Unfortunately, you can't. Either the hosting service that was used by the original posters to host the photos has gone belly-up, or the photos have been taken down there. I usually save a copy of any photos that I might want to refer to in the future, as there are no guarantees that what is on the web today will still be there tomorrow. Don't think I saved any of these, however.